Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-11-18
A LADY'S REVOLVER.

lean and half breed boys and girls, with
most tractable kind. who constituted the
school in the Puente section. The school
house was almost as rude and unkempt
looking as the scholars. 1t was part
'redwood'' and part adobe, and no at
tempt had been made to give it civil
lied appearances. 1t stood upon a piece
of half cleared land which bore a crop of
barley. Carslessly reaped by the lazy
Spanish family who owned it. and whose
adobe nut was the nearest neighbor to the
schoolhouse. at a distance of nearly a
third of "a mile.
All round this patch of grain land
grow the wild mustard in immense pro-
fusion. Here and there cactus patch
nourished, prckly wilderness. but the
mustard was the chief feature of the
foreground. 1t has a beauty of its own
when its myriad slender branches sway
TO the breeze their golden blooms, and
desolation of its own when the flowers
and verdure are gone, and it spreads in
all directions a miniature forest-dry and
dead.
Beyond the mustard, rocks and bowl
ders began to crop up, which increased
In size and assumed shapes more and
more weird and gaunt as they lay nearer
the mouth of the canyon.
A wilder scene could hardly be i'm
agined. A stranger setting to the picture
of Stella. as she stood on the threshold of
the schoohouse, in the shadow of the
projecting doorway, watching her last
scholars out of sight.
Stella boarded with the Benitos, a de-
cent Spanish family, living on the road
to San Bernardino about half a mile
south of the schoolhouse. She knew that
when the children left she ought to go
with them it was too lonely place for
the young teacher to remain in when all
were gone; but, ON the other hand, this
quiet hour or two We're of such priceless
value to her. 1t was her only time for
thought. for writing undisturbed the
CHEEKY letters which were to brighten
and bless the sick room of poor Tom at
Los Angeles.
Poor Tom. her only brother whose
young life was fading out under the
blight of consumption.
The orphan brother and sister had come
from the city Of their birth and love,
their far eastern home, in quest of heal
ing for Tom. Both had been full of hope.
The climate was said to be q miracle
working one, and Stella, as strong in
courage as in love, never doubted that,
while the healing process was going on,
she would be able with brain or hands,
or both, to support their small establish
ment. But Los Angeles seemed over
crowded with young workers of all kinds,
and after many efforts and failures to OBJ
tain remunerative work, Stella was
thankful at last, through the interest of
some school trustees, whom she had be-
sieged with applications, to obtain this
school, in all respects the least desirable
in the county; the class of scholars, the
small salary the situation, everything
making it so unattractive that some for.
malities might well be set aside in the
matter of certificates. and teacher in
finitely too good for the place giver
charge Of the school.
The great drawback was leaving Tom
the district was some thirty miles from
Los Angeles and the cost of going there
made large breaches In the meager salary
which was to supply the sick lads com
forts.
When the children were all gone anC
the loneliness of the place came Upon he
with that strange thrill, half pleasurable
half dreadful, the sight and touch of he
little silver mounted revolver was a com
fort to her. She prayed that she nigh
never have to use it, but still it lay Their
like trusty friend on whom, in posi-
BILE emergency. she might rely.
This afternoon the air was still ant
sultry. and the utter silence lay like
weight upon her; the dull ugliness of tn
schoolroom. as well as the breathles
heat. oppressed her. After waiting TO
awhile she leaned back and sighed impa
tiently, and presently she gathered VI
her writing, slipped the little revolve
into her sachel, tied on her hat, and sc
off toward the canyon. Not many hun
dred yards above the school house a ''liv
oak" or lex had struck root among tn
scattered rocks, and, finding some hiddel
runlet to nourish it, had spread abroa
it's dark branches, and made the on
spot of shade within reach when tn
mustard was dried up by the scorchin
sun.
The way seemed longer than usual
Stella. The sun beat down mercilessly
though the afternoon was wearing OF
and once she sat down for q moment G
two under the scanty shade which tn
mustard, not yet denuded of its igl
foliage, afforded.
How black the shadow of the large
solitary tree lay on the rocky GROUND
Only those who have lived in souther
California or like climate can know III
delicious relief of passing out of I'll
burning sunshine into shade which seen
darker and cooler than anywhere else.
The belated breeze from the dstaI
ocean sprang up, as if to welcome Stelli
and mocking bird suddenly began
sing with the delirious enjoyment whic
characterizes that unique bird.
North of the oak tree, some twent
PAGES distant, ran the road toward Il
canyon, now seldom if ever used, for Il
foods of the previous winter or two Ina